Here’s a question for forum members. Who in this sport, that we call horse racing, is underrated and overrated??? Or under appreciated and over appreciated if your prefer. Incidentally to say some is overrated doesn’t mean that you don’t like or rate them but instead that their media profile or perceived place in the sport doesn’t match their actual accomplishments. Underrated Mr Henderson – anyone who rates this man 99.999999999/100 is underrating him. A genius. A legend. A gentleman. The best ever. The forum’s favourite. The forum’s idol. Binocular – the record books dictate that he won 1 Champion Hurdle but in all honesty it should have been 4. THAT man stuffed up on him twice and those ‘unfortunate circumstances’ robbed him of probable victory in ’11. Sam Waley-Cohen – for years derided by many but his record in the big contests matches almost anyone’s CV. Also the best rider around Aintree I’ve ever seen. He’s a huge plus on any horses back in my opinion. Gleneagles – looked majestic in winning the 2,000 Guineas and then added the Irish 2,000 (on ground he hated) and the St James Palace. His ‘rep’ slide somewhat after this though with a couple of end of term defeats (although there were genuine excuses both times). I always rated this Classic winning, 4 time Group 1 winning son of Galileo extremely highly though and I can see him being a huge success in the old breeding sheds. Overrated A P McCoy – competent journeyman who got ‘lucky’ via associations with Martin Pipe and his ‘special’ friend Mr McManus. Consistently out performed by old boys Ruby and Barry when it really mattered. Dan Skelton and Harry Fry – we are always being told they are ‘Champions in waiting’. About time they delivered. Best Mate – good training performance to get him to line up in 3 CGC’s at the peak of his powers but won possibly the worst trio of renewals of this heat in my lifetime. Got lucky with the level of horse he was competing against. The bint who calls herself The Princess Royal – wasn’t even recognised on my horse racing radar but Cheltenham obviously rate her as they named their new Grandstand after her. Shocking decision. Rename it post haste say I. Graham Cunningham – the worst pundit on any sport ever, in my opinion. Never answers any question preferring instead to babble some pre-rehearsed sound bite. Offers nothing but Blandness with a capital ‘B’.
Underrated. Synthetic courses. The future of racing. Overrated. National hunt racing. That so many sensible people could be lured into believing that a bunch of slow moving plodders are wonderful athletes, I find quite astounding. NH is the Eddie The Eagle of the Sport Of Kings.
Chuckles, you grumble about someone babbling but you babble all the bloody time about this ridiculous N.Henderson (but nothing about his medical toolkit?). You are a god-forsaken WUM, with capital letters. Good evening! I am certainly not a royalist as such, but I would imagine the Princess Royal was as surprised as anyone about this. She is more well-known in Rugby Union circles for her support of the Scottish national team? Chuckles, you are indeed lucky that in your country-of-residence there is no Lèse-majesté law, for in Thailand you would be in the notorious "Bangkok Hilton" right now, with very little chance of getting out! To call her a 'bint' is pretty lousy IMHO. You chose to speak in derogatory terms about one of my favourite NH racehorses (yeah, yeah, three times in a row sub-standard Gold Cups, bollox), so you'll get it back in spades from me when you babble like that. Anyway, I always enjoyed taking on the tweedy people!
Overrated - Hofbrauhaus Underrated - Weisses Brauhaus Sorry folks; could not think of anything else but was determined to comment!!!
BK, hear hear, spot on! The Tegernsee brewery restaurant on Tal was a massive disappointment to me too when it opened not so long ago. Beer excellent, but otherwise, lousy. Much much better to make the trip to the brewery's restaurant by the lake, now that's great. Tegernsee brewery is owned by the Hofbräuhaus people actually, guess you know that? We digress, so sorry! ........I am now shutting-up............loud and prolonged .
It was cheeky of me to include the Weisses Brauhaus as 'underrated' as it is usually busy with locals. It is just one of my favourites in Munich. Other favourites are: Andechser, Zum Durnbrau, Osterwald (just outside English Garden) and Hofbrauhaus on Leopoldstrasse. It is a pity that the last named has turned into a rather upscale pastiche of a Bavarian 'nightspot'. It was perfectly positioned for a 'stop off' on the way back into the city. Used to love sitting outside in the winter amongst the banks of heaters!!!
Overrated- Ryan Moore. Rode some absolute stinkers this year. Underrated- Wayne Lordan. 3 yo standout filly of the year was beaten by some awful rides by the above, Wayne always seemed to get her to travel far sweeter to my eye anyway.
Spot of muck raking methinks... Overrated - 1) The New One (the sidestep past Our Connor made NO difference to the result, get over it!!) 2) Faugheen (clearly lacks the stomach for a fight - will see him running in Class 4 chases at Southwell this time next year after being bought by David Bridgewater for £4k in the Summer) 3) Nicky Henderson (anyone who wins a CH by administering snake venom to a horse 'roughed off' two weeks before is a crook in my opinion) 4) Kauto Star (Arkle would have given him 24lbs and a beating) 5) Any novice from the Mullins yard (No Beefy, we don't care you had £xxx on them when they were just foals!!) 6) Charlie Longsdon (another of those 'rising stars' - how long has he been training now? Hurry up and do it!!) 7) Un De Sceaux (won a substandard CC - I mean, the 40/1 dog I put up came 2nd to him and has hardly done the form any favours ffs!!) 8) Paul Nicholls (arrogant fat c**t needs to put down the fork once in a while!!) Underrated - 1) Henrietta Knight (Superbly plotted Best Mates route to three GC's) 2) Howard Johnson (I can't see the problem in removing nerve endings - not like the horse will feel anything) 3) Jamie Spencer (punters always get a run for their money and is the master of 'come from behind' tactics - just ask Hayley Turner) 4) Coneygree (not given the respect he deserves after winning the GC as a novice - Vautour and the Don's won't get near him next year!!) 5) Venetia Williams (I would!!) 6) Rishi Persad (Nothing cheers me up more on a Saturday morning than seeing his grinning face on the TV. Extremely knowledgable personality and surely next years winner of "I'm A Celeb...")
Overrated Donald McCain - not sure anyone on here rates him but gets far more coverage than he deserves around Grand National time. By all accounts (well 2 people I know) he is an absolute c*nt as well. Dessie Scahill - useless Tanya Stevenson/Graham Cunningham - as above Underrated Wicklow Brave (maybe under appreciated rather than underrated). Started 2015 with 2 very ordinary performances and since then has won a competitive Cheltenham festival handicap with ease, gone to Royal Ascot and performed with credit, been to the Galway festival, runner up in the Ebor, placed in the Irish St Leger, placed back at Ascot on Champions day and then performed very creditably last weekend at Punchestown in a grade 1. What a year he's given connections. Melbourne Cup in 2016? Aiden Coleman Wayne Hutchinson
Agreed on all three accounts.Can I add that I've been told by quiet a few people that Ruby Walsh is an arrogant prick and a stingy bastard as well!
100% agree about Donald McCain Chan - I cracked a smile when (I think) his largest owners shifted 40+ horses from him recently.
Overrated; David Pipe- trying to follow in his fathers footstep and it's not just happening. All so how many times do we hear about these big Pipe gambles and I can't remember the last one that came in also the Paddy power meeting it seems a the media were shocked he didn't have a winner as it is a meeting "he targets" doesn't every bloody trainer that runs thier Royal Ascot- Yes it is a good week of racibg but to go - top hat tails to get in to the Royal enclosure (what is this the 1900's and yes I have been a couple of times in thier before) and they have Gok wan too Cheltenham Trial races- how many of these actually go on to win at that race in the festival e.g the supreme trial last weekend can u see the winner actually making a mark on the day Jezki- you could argue how can you over rate a champion he has proved it however his performances before and after that win have been not champion performance beaten many times by the Fly (no disgrace whatso ever) his run last yr in the hurdle not in the first 3 - you could argue he won a weak and a messy champion hurdle altho the TNO still wouldn't of won Had he stayed on his feel Bless him Our Connor would have been hard to beat!! Underrated Marc Goldstein- Young jockey in my local county, very good horsemans just needs a big winner to kick start his career Sam Twiston-Davies- think he is a great jockey he does not get enough publicity about some of his rides and winners enough Don Poli- all the talk is about Don Cossck but this fellow gallops an gallops and ha been forgotten about IMO he will stay only thing is he can rce abit lazily but get him going he will be able to live with Coneygrees relentless galloping and will stay up th hill over 3m don't forget Coneygree came out of the RSA coz the gold cup looks easier so they say and this fellow won it
Finally thought of a horseracing O/Ud. Overrated - Cheltenham NH Festival - Club Enclosure Underrated - Cheltenham NH Festival - Best Mate Enclosure (1/3 the price - 3 times the fun!!!) Bearing in mind post immediately above; Don Poli for Becher Chase - puzzled from 'Auld Reekie'.
Over rated York Racecourse (since they messed up the turf) Frankie Dettori Mark Johnston Tanya Stevenson I would say Graham Cunningham but I honestly have never met anyone who rated him. Underrated Frankel Roger Varian William Hagges Lydia Hislop Matt Chapman Minestrone soup (it's got everything)
Overrated: Reducing horse racing to a discussion about the odds on certain horses and "value" Backing a horse at 6/1 in the morning and seeing its price contract to 2/1 at the off (especially when said horse loses) Underrated: Having a forum such as this to exchange view on the sport we love The horse
